This year's British town crier championships will be held in silence for the first time ever, in an attempt to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

Town criers will not be able to shout their cries as usual, and instead the competition will be judged on the entrants' written cries alone.

The Loyal Company of Town Criers hosts the competition, and has received hundreds of entries from all over the country.

The organisation said the decision was taken to use written cries instead of recording them, because not everybody is able to take good quality videos.

Biddulph has a strong link to town criers, with the competition being held in Biddulph several times in the past - most recently in 2016, but also in 2013 and 2006.

Biddulph's town crier, John Robinson, is a regular entrant and has won the competition on many occasions, picking up wins in 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008 (twice) and 2007.

As with many things, the championships were cancelled last year due to Coronavirus restrictions, and were last held in public in 2019 in Darlington.

The cries are usually judged on their sustained volume and clarity, diction and inflection, and content.

However, this year, due to the cries being written, only the content can be judged.

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below!

You can submit your own news and opinions straight to Biddulph Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page.

This can also be done for events on our What's On page and for businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page, also by using the 'Nub It' button.

Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.